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North Carolina

UNC pulls away to beat Long Beach State, 78-63

Nov 17, 2012

Long Beach, Calif. — Long Beach State challenged the Tar Heels in the first half, but James Michael McAdoo arrived in the second half and led all scorers with 18 points in a 78-63 win by UNC Friday.

FINAL: UNC 78, Long Beach State 63

At the under-4 timeout, UNC appears to be in control and continues to work the ball inside as Long Beach State is settling for the three-point shot that isn't falling.

UNC 73, LBSU 60; 3:42 2nd

North Carolina has found their stride and James Michael McAdoo has begun to find his space as the Tar Heels have opened up a 68-52 lead.

After a difficult start to the game, McAdoo is now up to 17 points with seven rebounds. Paige, Hairston and Johnson are all in double digits as well.

UNC 68, LBSU 52; 6:54 2nd

UNC has got hot from deep with James Michael McAdoo on the bench as Paige, Bullock and Hairston have all collected 3-pointers during a run that has seen the Tar Heels' lead grow to 62-48.

The flurry of threes now has the Tar Heels 9-for-24 from behind the arc for the game as a team.

UNC 62, LBSU 48; 10:42 2nd

UNC went on a 12-1 run stretching back to the 1st half, but Long Beach State responded with a 9-2 run of their own and has taken a 41-39 lead early in the second half.

LBSU 41, UNC 39; 16:12 2nd

North Carolina used a couple late buckets on defensive breakdowns by Long Beach State to reclaim a 33-32 lead at the half.

Brice Johnson has eight points off the bench to match Marcus Paige in leading the Tar Heels. 

Long Beach State guard Mike Caffey has put up 11 shots and has 12 points to show for it to lead all scorers at the break.

UNC 33, LBSU 32; HALF

Long Beach State has done very little wrong over the last four minutes as their lead has grown to 29-25 aided by a 3-pointer by Peter Pappageorge.

James Michael McAdoo has been contested all night and is just 2-for-6 from the floor while turning the ball over twice. 

LBSU 29, UNC 25; 3:57 1st

Long Beach State is content with the aggressive style UNC is trying to play and has hit two threes to take a 24-21 lead.

James Michael McAdoo has been doubled most of the half and quieted to the tune of one basket. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels have chucked up 11 3-pointers, only connecting on three. 

All told, the offenses have put up numbers but have combined for 11 turnovers as well.

LBSU 24, UNC 21; 7:26 1st

UNC has fallen in love with the 3-point shot as 10 of their first 13 shots were from behind the arc. However, scoring has been an issue as only two buckets and a pair of Strickland free throws have fallen since the last timeout.

Long Beach State has stayed even throughout the start and will be at the line when play resumes following the second TV timeout.

UNC 15, LBSU 15; 11:45 1st

Marcus Paige opened the night's scoring with his first three-pointer as a Heel and followed that up with a second as the Tar Heels have knocked down three triples in the early going. 

Desmond Hubert also sent a block into the stands and Dexter Strickland took the game to the first TV timeout by going to the hoop and drawing a foul.

Long Beach State has matched UNC on the scoreboard, though, behind five Kris Gulley points.

UNC 9, LBSU 9; 15:53 1st

Pregame

The 11th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels leave Chapel Hill for an extended five-game road trip starting with a showdown with the Long Beach State 49ers at the Walter Pyramid.

Roy Williams may have a new cast of characters to work with this season, but the early returns are in and North Carolina certainly looks like a team to be reckoned with. UNC opened its season with a 76-59 win over Gardner-Webb and then played host to the Florida Atlantic Owls in regional action of the Maui Invitational, posting an 80-56 rout last weekend. Following this game, North Carolina will head to Hawaii to conclude play in the Maui Invitational, prior to a showdown with top-ranked Indiana in Bloomington. More Info     More UNC Stories

The 49ers are a powerhouse in the Big West Conference and one of the favorites to win the league title this season. Long Beach State opened the 2012-13 season with a 75-65 win over North Alabama, followed by a 62-44 loss at USC.

This is the third time these two teams have met on the hardwood. North Carolina has won both previous matchups, including a thrilling 96-91 shootout in Chapel Hill two years ago.

The season is only two games in, but it is clear that the North Carolina offense is going to run through James Michael McAdoo. The sophomore forward has recorded two double-doubles to kick-start his season, including 19 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Florida Atlantic. The Tar Heels got off to a slow start against the Owls, but turned it on in the second half, converting 54.5 percent from the floor to run away with the game. Joining McAdoo in double figures were sophomore Desmond Hubert (16 pts) and freshmen Brice Johnson (12 pts) and Joel James (11 pts). McAdoo has been a beast through two games at 22.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per outing. Junior Reggie Bullock adds 10.5 points and 6.0 rebounds to the cause, while three others - Johnson (9.0 ppg), Dexter Strickland (8.5 ppg) and James (8.5 ppg) have produced early on as well.

The 49ers received 17 points from sophomore Mike Caffey and 13 points from senior James Ennis, but it wasn't enough in a lopsided loss at USC this week. LBSU was able to keep things relatively close in the first half, but struggled in the second half, converting just 5-of-23 shots from the floor (.217) en route to the setback. The 49ers have had a tough time generating offense through the first week of the season, netting just 59.5 points per game on .382 shooting. Ennis has been the top performer, scoring 16.0 points per game. Caffey has scored 13 points in each contest, but there has been little in terms of scoring from the rest of the roster.

The 49ers lack the personnel to win this one. McAdoo has been outstanding in the early going and that isn't likely to change anytime soon.